Note from 2020: I won’t be editing this post but since it’s been getting a handful of views recently, please do keep in mind it was posted in 2010. I was 18 years old. I do not care about your opinions on Twilight and I barely care about my own. This lives on as an archive, not as a stated continued opinion or interest. If you want to know what my current interests are, check out my portfolio here.
With Eclipse coming out today, I felt it would be a good time to discuss a topic that’s been bugging me for a while. It seems like almost every self-proclaimed literature nerd on the internet absolutely hates the Twilight series, sometimes spilling over as a hatred for the author as well. And I think this is silly. So I thought that a post about why hating Twilight is stupid might be a good idea. If you don’t want to read it, though, I’ve included a video at the bottom of this post essentially saying the same thing as this post will.
First, I’d just like to mention that when googling “why I hate Twilight”, I got 28,800,000 results. Ouch. The first of which is a comprehensive list of the 95 reasons not to read the books, which I would love to reply to but would take way too long. So I’ll just tackle the couple main issues most people seem to have with the series.
It’s not good writing!
I’ll give you that Twilight is not All The Pretty Horses or The Great Gatsby. But that’s not what Stephenie Meyer was trying to write. She was never under the impression that she was penning the next great American novel. She never tried to. She wrote about a subject and a bunch of characters that she loved and was interested in. Just because she’s not Hemingway doesn’t mean you should discredit her writing completely. I mean, especially after looking at the other things that pass for literature. Have you ever read a Hardy Boys book? I could write better than that as a middle schooler. If you don’t like the way Meyer writes, that’s fine, and totally your prerogative. But don’t automatically assume that your taste is so precise that no one else will like it, either. Unless they’re stupid.
The plot line is silly and predictable.
I hate this argument against books. I think that Romeo and Juliet has a stupid plot, and it’s been called one of the greatest love stories of all time. Look, different people like reading different things. How is Twilight any different than the millions of chick flick movies? Of course Bella is going to end up with Edward and Jacob will end up appeased and maybe even happy. That’s just how these things work out sometimes. Don’t talk to me about predictable or unrealistic plot lines.
Bella is an annoying character
Ugh. Again, one of those stupid arguments. That 95 things list I mentioned above was particularly angered at Bella’s character. The writer seemed to believe that Bella, in addition to apparently being a perfect character other than the whole clumsy thing, was obsessed with and couldn’t live without Edward. Also, these things are apparently bad things. But I think that the writer is missing a very important point: Bella, if anything, has no character. I like to think of her like almost a Harry Potter character*. She’s the kind of character that everyone can relate to, because she has no real characteristics.
And as for the whole Edward thing, I’ll give you that she seems a little obsessive. But what lonely teenage girl isn’t? Bella has grown up with a mother who can barely take care of her, and a distant father who doesn’t know how to connect with her. When she finds a boy who pays attention to her, of course she’s going to go a little crazy. She’s spend her entire life being the adult, the one who has to give other people attention. Getting that attention in return for once is a blessing for her.
On this subject, I’d briefly like to discuss Bella’s reaction to Edward leaving in New Moon. Some people have called it laughable and pathetic, but that’s how people react. That’s how I reacted when the whole Dylan/Sean thing went down. I became a zombie. I continued to get good grades and pretended to be fine, but inside I was in constant torment. People who should have loved me were leaving me. People who I truly loved and cared about were blowing me off as if I didn’t mean anything. And Bella’s reaction to Edward leaving was right on.
B-b-but they’re not REAL vampires!
Whoever said that vampires HAVE to be the way classics like Dracula made them? That’s the beauty of fiction writing; you can do whatever you want. Meyer doesn’t have an obligation to follow the ancient vampire stereotypes. In fact, she shouldn’t, because that would kind of ruin the whole idea of being original and fresh. Maybe you like the scary, creepy vampires. That’s fine. Don’t read Twilight. But also, don’t criticize Twilight because the vampires are pretty and sparkly and you don’t like that. Because that’s stupid.
Actually, you know what? I have something to say about this 95 list, so I’m going to post ANOTHER blog (CLICKY!) just replying to that because I’m so mad.
*If someone gets all upset that I’m using a Harry Potter comparison to Twilight, go away. Seriously. Harry Potter is my favorite series of all time. I can compare it to whatever I want.
VIDEO!
Twilight’s plot and characters aren’t all-encompassing and generalized, they’re just cliche. There’s definitely a difference. You imply Twilight has an overdone storyline like chick flicks, which is why some movies are labeled such. Boring, overdone story lines = bad storytelling. Can you disagree with that as a writer? This series just got lucky. Good for Stephanie Meyer, and it’s nice to have the general public reading. But that doesn’t mean it’s anything stimulating. You can’t argue that, and you kind of didn’t, which is good.
Thanks? And I still don’t think it’s bad storytelling. Some things are all-encompassing and generalized, and of COURSE there is a lot of it that’s cliche, but nowadays, what DOESN’T have cliches? Things become cliche for a reason; they work. Also: overdone storylines doesn’t necessarily make something boring or bad, because the way the overdone storyline is told is kinda half the battle. So what if the overall idea of the books is predictable? I’d read ’em all over again, because I like the middle of the sandwich even though most people only see it for the bread.
And I never said Twilight was stimulating. It’s not supposed to be stimulating. It’s supposed to be a fun, romantic story about vampires and humans and werewolves and collective insecurity that surpasses species.
Unfortunately, things become cliche when they don’t work to instill the intended feeling anymore. Otherwise it would be an homage, allusion, what have you. Twilight is under fire because most of it is cliche- like you said.
I think you could make your point better if you didn’t play it off like you’re defending it. You aren’t defending its merit on anything other than personal preferences, which don’t give books literary merit- you’re just saying “literary critics” shouldn’t mock Twilight just because some people like light reading. That makes sense and is very reasonable.
It’s not a good idea to act like the Twilight series is anything more than a comforting story that has little substance but lots of entertainment value. Things that are entertaining are seldom good for development. If people want to criticize that, then you really just have to let them. There’s not much evidence to disprove it other than preference. Besides- you’re the one getting more happiness out of it by enjoying it anyway, right?
Am I allowed to hate it because of the majority of its fanbase? I’m talking about the girls who get into actual fights over Team Edward vs Team Jacob, or the people who DO think Twilight is fantastic, classic-making writing, or how Edward is a God who every girl should want to love and spend their life with. I’m not saying the Twilight fanbase is exclusive in this (God knows how overblown the ship wars were in Harry Potter), but it does genuinely annoy me that this is what a large (granted, not all obviously, as I do know many who aren’t like that) portion of the fanbase is like. It’s why I hate saying I’ve read the books despite actually not minding them too much. If I tell someone I like it, then either they assume I’m an airhead and rail on me for having no taste, or else go “OMG isn’t Edward just AMAZING!!! He’s so hot and sweet and kind and PERFECT!!!!”. I’m not kidding, these are genuinely the responses I get. So yeah, the actual material isn’t that bad, but its fanbase drives me nuts which is why I’ve been so resentful of liking it.
I understand. I read the books before the craze started, so now it’s like you have to hide your liking of them.
Lots of classics have sucky writing.